Kyle McConaghy and Joe DeBoer direct Dead Mail. The film stars Sterling Macer Jr., John Fleck, Susan Priver, Micki Jackson and Tomas Boykin.
Opening with a shot of a man bound by his feet and arms crawling towards a mailbox to deliver a blood-soaked cry for help, Dead Mail creates a brooding sense of intrigue and uneasiness that doesn’t stop until the credits start rolling.
This film marks the second collaboration between directors Kyle McConaghy and Joe DeBoer after their 2020 sci-fi thriller BAB. If Dead Mail is anything to go by, they both have up-and-coming careers ahead of them. For instance, the film is shot in a distinct manner that makes you feel as if you’re watching a video from the 80s that wasn’t meant to be viewed by the public. The heavy film grain adds a gritty texture to everything, perfectly complementing the twisted and dark narrative.
Dead Mail also relies heavily on its synth-driven score, composed by Janet Beat, which becomes more entangled in the film’s narrative than one first assumes. There are moments where it goes for a typical 80s synth-wave approach, but there are many other instances where the score sounds otherworldly and wonky, adding a constant feeling of uncertainty to every scene in the film.
This is all highlighted through the performances, with the highlight being John Fleck as synthesiser enthusiast Trent. His performance, which becomes more manic and deranged as the film goes on, is the one element that holds the core themes of loneliness and obsession together. There are times when you feel sorry for him and others, and his passions and thoughts go way across the line. His actions aren’t condonable in the slightest, but to begin with, you can briefly sympathise with his initial reasons for doing what he does before things go too far.
At first the film can feel as if it doesn’t know where it’s going, seeming rather disjointed in the process. It will go from one thing or person to the next with hardly any context which can make some of the film’s initial choices hard to grasp. However, it manages to cleverly connect its various characters and plot threads in a way that cohesively wraps everything up by the end. The filmmakers do very little to explain what’s going on or what exactly it is they are building to, which in some cases can be frustrating for audiences. Dead Mail on the other hand, always makes sure to smoothen out its story once all the pieces are in place which results in a rather cathartic and emotionally poignant ending.
From its grungy aesthetic to the off-kilter synth soundtrack, Dead Mail is the rare type of thriller that keeps on giving. Though it may not have a tonne of rewatch value, the peculiar yet somewhat rewarding approach will stay with you for a while. It will constantly throw you off but reassure you with time while ensuring it rightfully unsettles you at all the right points.
